chapter five ♔ it'll be a day like this one when the sky falls down

[eldritchweaver]

the blues - switchfoot

WHO || The Knights
WHAT || Failboat returns from the disaster in LA as the Knighthood goes on lockdown
WHERE || The castle, London
WHEN || Directly after this, Fall 2017
HOW || Actionspam

Hasmed's announcement does not brook any rebuttal: all Knights are recalled to the Castle, where they must remain until the Section Heads and Jack Chessing have spoken about the events in Los Angeles that have left the Knighthood without their usual leader.  

The entire Los Angeles area is now covered with a dark miasma that has interfered with any signals that might be sent out from phones, etc., leaving the whole world wondering what exactly is happening down there.  Final images showed horrendous monsters, a panic of citizens, looting and violence from humans and Shadowkind alike.  

Hasmed has warned of extra magical wards on the castle, and anyone arriving will immediately take notice of one very prominent one: above the entire roof of the excessively large building hovers a black and red sigil in the air, a pentagram in a circle surrounded by runes or words in an unknown language, stretching for miles.  

[ This is the social log for post-LA lockdown.  Failboat must complete the top log before being allowed to tag outside of it. ]

Comments

[graveflowers]

[ vi hugs back as hard as her relatively weak strength will allow, burying her face in buffy's blonde hair and focusing on the thud of her heart against vi's chest. ]

I'm so glad you're okay, [ she breathes, voice trembling with relief. ] The last thing I saw was you and Nick on the stage but when I got there you were gone already and I prayed you were alright.

[ THE POWER OF PRAYER WORKS! and faith in buffy's ability to get up every time she is knocked down. ]

[slay]

Nick?

[ it doesn't seem to matter, now, but she can't help asking as she pulls back to get a look at vi. almost subconsciously, sisterly, she pushes vi's hair back from her face to get a good look at her, brushing gently across her cheek in a protective gesture. ]

Where did you go? Where have you been? How did you— [ no, the questions are too many. ] Tell me everything.

[graveflowers]

[ vi shifts accordingly so the staff she still hasn't let go of doesn't whack buffy in the head. contrary to the blood and grime still covering most of her, vi looks in relatively good health. still like she should go get her damn self healed, but not like she's going to keel over. ]

They took me to some room a couple halls away from the stage, probably a dressing room, I dunno. They had a TV set up and I was watching the show and when it all happened... [ she shrugs, dismissive. how she got out isn't important and she doesn't want to talk about it, honestly, feeling the sting in her chest, the sting of mortality. ] I went to find you, I saw you on one of the scream, but you'd gone by the time I got there.

[ she scoffs a little, bitter. ] I tried to pull the fire alarm, like it was going to help. Spoilers, it did not 'cause most of the ceiling caved in while I was crossing the stage.

[slay]

I'm just glad you made it out of there in one piece. I was so worried that ...

[ she can't even think about it. ]

I can't believe you made it across the stage at all. Those ... giants Blade summoned ...

[graveflowers]

I almost didn't, but part of the ceiling fell between us. [ she frowns slightly, rolling her shoulders. ] And sorta on me. But I'm fine! I'm fine.

[ she's mostly fine. vi isn't a great liar, but she can usually keep worries about herself off her face because she's always too busy worrying about someone else, but she's kind of an open book with buffy. ]

Zeus rescued me.

[slay]

... Zeus?

[graveflowers]

[ vi's expression softens. ]

My grandfather.

[slay]

Your life is different than most people's.

[ which is really the only thing you can say to that. what else is there when you're talking grandpa the god? ]

[graveflowers]

You're tellin' me. First Arvandor, which I am still not over, and now Grandpa Zeus being a perv but also super awesome at the same time. [ her arms spread to the sides as if saying 'idk what to tell you, son'. she does gesture to the staff like the price is right girl. ]

He did give me this amazing toy, however.

[slay]

This is from him? [ she'd hardly given it much thought tbh. but now she's like ok this ain't bad. ] What does it do? I don't suppose the answer is "locate lost dragons and boyfriends and end the apocalypse."

[graveflowers]

It's his thunderbolt. [ but if buffy doesn't know zeus -- and like god damn can't anyone google her family tree just once? -- she won't really get the significance of zeus' thunderbolt. ]

It's a god's lightning. And I have been personally tasked as his champion to shoot Blade in the dick with it. [ a beat. ] No luck on Wynn or Raf, though they showed me a video of him, he saw me so he's still alive. I have to believe we'd know if he wasn't.

[slay]

At this point, I'll take whatever weapons we can get. [ she huffs out a sigh. ] Might want to put it where the section heads can't question you on it. They're out for blood.

[graveflowers]

They can try to take it... [ but it ain't gonna happen. lbr she would probably let dovan or koraith or christos touch it. and solace. (unsure) ] I feel like I am missing something. Also what the fuck is that sky graffiti outside. I come back a little late and suddenly it's Dark Mark time over the castle?

[slay]

The section heads heard about what happened in LA. Their reaction was ... extreme, you might say. And not entirely focused. They're deciding what's gonna happen, now.

[graveflowers]

...okay. I guess that is what Wynn would want in his stead. [ the excessive bickering loses something in the retelling. ] We need all the help we can get now.

[slay]

They called Hellsing.

[graveflowers]

They what!

[ well okay that is a little shrieky but hellsing is in her home where her daughter lives and that is just absolute garbage. ]

Why? Last time we asked for help Hellsing was a useless piece of shit. [ also she's not keeping her voice down. ] And no one even knew Hell itself was even involved before today. That is their thing: Hell. Not dickhead baby gods with delusions of grandeur and now all of daddy's power.

[slay]

I take it that means Zeus confirmed it. Keijen has the power of the Spider King?

[graveflowers]

I mean he wasn't like 'hey Chrysanthemum, your bedroom intruder now has the powers of your worst nightmare', but he didn't correct any assumptions I made. [ a beat. ] Which doesn't mean I'm right! Just that he had more important things to talk about. I don't know.

[ she throws her free hand up, frustrated. ] I don't know fucking anything anymore.

[slay]

Well, there is one thing I know. Every time we feel like we know how many fronts we're fighting this battle on, more crop up. The section heads aren't going to make this any easier. They're looking to play the blame game, and Hellsing isn't helping matters. Then there's Des and Elena ...

[graveflowers]

[ vi holds up a hand. ] I do not want to talk about Des right now.

The blame should go squarely on the shoulders of the Mind Master and Keijen. They're very broad now, he can handle it

[slay]

Noted. But it's not about blame. It's about being realistic. Rose and Dean are already halfway into planning a mutiny, and the section heads haven't even finished discussing.

[graveflowers]

...since when does Dean get a say in anything? Isn't he just, like, a stray we needed to replace Archer?

[ look last she knew he was the guy tasked with rose to hunt down elena so nah son. ]

[slay]

When I find someone who cares about the technicalities of who's qualified to offer an opinion on this mission, I'll let you know. Right now, it's a free-for-all, and nothing's going to get done.

[graveflowers]

Which is exactly what they want from us! Not they the section heads, but they... the bad guys.

[ a beat. ] Where's Isabella?